Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address to Peace and Development Rally in Diphu, Assam
Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
कार्बी आंग-लोंग कोरटे इंगजिर, के-डो अं-अपहान्ता, नेली कारडोम पजीर इग्लो।
Governor of Assam Shri Jagdish Mukhi Ji, Popular Chief Minister of Assam Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma Ji, Karbi Raja Shri Ramsing Ronghang Ji; Shri Tuliram Ronghang Ji of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, Ministers of the Government of Assam, Shri Piyush Hazarika Ji and Shri Jogen Mohan Ji; my colleague in Parliament Shri Horen Sing Bey ji, MLA Shri Bhabesh Kalita ji, all other public representatives and my dear sisters and brothers of Karbi Anglong!
- I get a chance to interact with you, your love and affinity feels like God's blessings. Even today you have come here in such large numbers from far off places to bless us and that too with great enthusiasm, dressed colourfully in your traditional attire. I express my heartfelt gratitude to you for the blessings showered upon all of us by performing traditional rituals at the entrance by the local tribals.
Brothers and sisters,
What a pleasant coincidence that today when the country is celebrating the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', we are also celebrating the 400th birth anniversary of the great son of this soil, Lachit Borphukan ji. His life is an inspiration for patriotism and nation's power. From Karbi Anglong, I respectfully bow to this great luminary of the country and pay my homage to him.
Friends,
Wherever we have BJP's double engine government, it works with the spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas' . Today this resolve has once again been strengthened on this land of Karbi Anglong. The work of implementing the agreement reached for the permanent peace and rapid development of Assam, is going on at a fast pace today. Under that agreement, the foundation stone of several projects worth Rs 1000 crore has been laid here today. Be it degree college, veterinary college or agriculture college, all these institutions are going to provide new opportunities to the youth of this place.
Friends, today the foundation stone laying events that have taken place are not just for any building, college or an institution. The foundation stone has been laid for the bright future of our youth here. With a proper system for higher education here, even the poorest of the poor families will be able to provide better education to their children. At the same time, better facilities will be available to farmers and livestock owners through these institutes here. Apart from these projects, the Assam government is also taking continuous steps on the other aspects of the agreement. Relentless work is underway for the rehabilitation of those friends who have returned to the mainstream of nation building, leaving arms and ammunition behind.
Brothers and sisters,
One of the important resolutions that the country has taken on the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' is related to the construction of Amrit Sarovar. The country is moving ahead today with a target of constructing at least 75 Amrit Sarovars in every district. I launched this from Jammu and Kashmir only a few days back. I am glad that today in Assam too the work for constructing more than 2600 Amrit Sarovars is being started. The construction of these lakes is completely based on public participation. There is also a rich tradition of such lakes in the tribal society. With this, not only the water reserves will be created in the villages, but they will also become a source of income. Fish is an important source of food and livelihood in Assam. Pisciculture is also going to get a fillip from these Amrit Sarovars.
Brothers and sisters,
All of you have gone through a lot of hardships for a long time in the last decades. But since 2014, the problems in the North East are decreasing continuously and the people's lives are developing. Today, when someone comes to the tribal areas of Assam or visits the other states of the North East, the person likes to see the situation changing. Be it Karbi Anglong or any other tribal area, we are working on the policy of development and trust.
Friends,
You know very well that I understand your problems and the problems of this area just as a member of your own family, like your brother or like your son. I have tried to understand every problem. And you have explained to me more with your hearts than with intellect. You have touched my heart every time. When we all seek solutions as family members, there is a sensitivity involved in it. We can feel the pain and suffering; we understand your dreams and resolutions better; we feel like working very hard to honour your noble intentions.
Friends,
Every human being, even the people of this remote region of Assam, the youngsters who live in the forests, has a desire to move forward. Understanding this feeling and your dreams, we all are striving to fulfil your dreams. We are engaged to fulfil your dreams; you are striving to fulfil your dreams; we are working together to accomplish every resolution and we are going to win together.
Brothers and sisters,
Today the whole country is watching how the decades-old problems of violence, anarchy and mistrust are fading away with the solutions being found. There was a time when this area used to resonate with the sounds of bombs and bullets. But today only the sound of applause can be heard. People are hailing this place. In September last year, many organizations of Karbi Anglong joined together with a pledge to move forward on the path of peace and development. The Bodo Accord in 2020 has opened new doors for lasting peace. Apart from Assam, NLFT also took steps on the path of peace in Tripura. The problem related to Bru-Reang, which was going on for about two and a half decades, was also resolved. In other places also our efforts for lasting peace are going on continuously with utmost seriousness.
Friends,
Those who have been most affected by violence and unrest; those who have suffered the most; those whose tears have never dried up are our mothers, our sisters and our children. Today, when I see the young men who have given up weapons and have returned from the forests to their families, I can see the eyes of the mothers filled with joy and happiness. I can see the tears of joy flowing from their eyes. Mothers feel a sense of peace and satisfaction. That is when I feel a lot blessed. Today mothers and sisters have come here in such large numbers. The mothers and sisters coming here and showering blessings, gives a new strength and a new boost to the efforts of peace. The double engine government of the Center and the state is working with full force for improving the lives of the people of this region, their sons and daughters. We are working with dedication and a spirit of service.
Brothers and sisters,
In Assam and in the North East, as peace is returning due to the collective efforts of the government and society, the old laws are also being reformed. For a long time, the Armed Forces Special Power Act  has been in place in many states of the North East. But during the last 8 years, we have removed AFSPA from many areas of the North East due to the return of permanent peace and better law and order situation. In the last 8 years, there has been a reduction in the incidence of violence in the North East by about 75 per cent. This is the reason why AFSPA was withdrawn first from Tripura and then from Meghalaya. In Assam, it was enforced for 3 decades. Due to the lack of improvement in the conditions, the previous governments kept pushing it again and again. But in the past years, the situation was handled in such a way that today AFSPA has been removed from 23 districts of Assam. In other areas also, we are trying to normalize the situation rapidly so that AFSPA can be removed from there as well. In Nagaland and Manipur too we are rapidly progressing in this direction.
Friends,
The problems within the states of North East are being resolved; the decades-old border disputes between the states are also being resolved amicably. I would also congratulate Himanta ji and other Chief Ministers of North East today that due to their efforts, North East is now moving towards becoming a strong economic centre of the country. With the spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', the solution to border related issues is being sought today. The agreement reached between Assam and Meghalaya will encourage to resolve other issues as well. This will give impetus to the development aspirations of the entire region.
Brothers and sisters,
We have laid a lot of emphasis on local self-governance, be it the Bodo Accord or the Karbi Anglong Agreement. For the last 7-8 years, the Central Government has been making ceaseless efforts to empower the institutions of local government and to make them more transparent. Be it the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council or other local institutions, they have a huge responsibility. The huge responsibility of taking central and state schemes to every village at a fast pace will also be fulfilled with the cooperation of these institutions. Public convenience, public welfare and public participation are the priority for all of us.
Brothers and sisters,
Development of the state for the development of the nation, and development of the villages and cities for the development of the state is indispensable. True development of villages is possible only when development plans are made according to local needs and local conditions and when the plans are fully implemented. Therefore, in the centre's plans we have kept in mind the local needs over the years. For example, the schemes related to housing for the poor, which used to run earlier; everything from their design to the material used to be decided in Delhi. But the tribal areas like Karbi Anglong have a different tradition, a different culture associated with building houses; the availability of materials differs in the place. Therefore, a major change was made in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The money goes directly to the beneficiary's bank account. After this, the beneficiaries build their own houses according to their choice. And the beneficiary then can tell the world “look, this is my house, built by me”. This Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is not a dole or government’s favour. For us, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is the scheme to build a poor person's own dream-house, as per his own wishes.This spirit of greater participation of the people of the village in the development of the village is also there in the Har Ghar Jal Yojana. The water which reaches every household should be managed by the water committees of the village, and in that too, the committees should consist mostly of mothers and sisters. Because no one can understand the importance of water like our mothers and sisters do. Men do not understand it like the women. That is why we have strengthened the water related schemes by placing mothers and sisters in the core. I have been told that before this scheme was implemented, less than 2 percent of the households in the village had access to piped water here. Now about 40 percent of the households have access to piped water. I am sure, soon water will start reaching every household in Assam through pipes.
Brothers and sisters,
The culture of the tribal society, the language here, the food, the art , the handicrafts and everything here is not only the heritage of this place but also the heritage of my India. Every Indian is proud of this heritage of yours and every district of Assam, every region and every tribe is very rich in this heritage. Here cultural heritage connects India and strengthens the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'. Therefore, the central government is putting efforts to preserve tribal art-culture, art and craft, and to develop a system to pass them on to the future generations. Today, the tribal museums that are being built across the country, the museums that are being developed in the name of tribal freedom fighters are also in line with this same idea. Tribal talent and the local products of the tribal society are also being promoted by the central government. There is a wonderful tradition of handloom cotton cloth, bamboo, wooden and metal utensils, among other artefacts all over Assam including Karbi Anglong. We need to be vocal for these local products. The government is setting up all necessary platforms so that these products can reach every household and the important markets of the country and the world. Wherever I go, I talk about my brothers and sisters living in remote forests, my brothers and sisters associated with art and handicrafts. I keep speaking of 'vocal for local' everywhere because your work should find a place in Indian homes and should garner respect all over the world.
Friends,
In this 'Azadi Ka Amritkaal', Karbi Anglong is also moving towards a new future of peace and development. Now from here we must not look back. In the coming few years, together we have to make up for the development which we could not do in the last decades. We are completely standing with you in the endeavour for the development of Assam. You have come here to bless us in such a large number. As I have said before, I assure you once again, I will return this love of yours with interest by developing your region. I wish you the very best.
Kardom! Thank you !
Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
Thanks a lot! Kardom!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.